The MPO, led by ESA, will study the planet itself and, among several investigations, make complete maps of Mercury in several wavelengths. It will also map the planet's mineralogy and elemental composition and determine whether the planet has a molten core.

The MPO will work in tandem with the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), led by JAXA, which will study the magnetosphere (the region of space around a planet dominated by its magnetic field).

BepiColombo is the first ever dual-satellite mission to Mercury.

Note: This artist's impression reflects the spacecraft concept of the time when it was published. The design has changed in the meantime and thus this image is no longer up-to-date. For the latest images of BepiColombo, please visit our SciTech multi media gallery.